The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup playoffs are all set after the final play date of the eliminations on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. Here’s what happened as the San Miguel Beermen took on the NorthPort Batang Pier looking to clinch the no. 1 seed and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel looked to secure safe passage to the top four against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters:
San Miguel Routs NorthPort, Seals No. 1 Seed for Philippine Cup Playoffs
With so much on the line, the San Miguel Beermen went to work right from the first whistle, building an early lead and never looking back in a wire-to-wire 126-91 rout of the NorthPort Batang Pier.
CJay Perez led all scorers with 24 points in limited minutes, while Jericho Cruz and Don Trollano added 17 apiece. Mo Tautuaa chipped in 14 and veteran Beermen June Mar Fajardo and Marcio Lassiter scattered 10 each as San Miguel showcased its tremendous firepower.
Joshua Munzon’s 19 paced NorthPort, Cade Flores had 13, and Fran Yu and Jerrick Balanza added 11 apiece for the Batang Pier, who finished at 2-9 for the conference.
With San Miguel’s eighth win as against three losses, the Beermen locked up the no. 1 seed in the Philippine Cup playoffs by virtue of a superior quotient over the NLEX Road Warriors, Magnolia Hotshots, and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. That means San Miguel will be taking on the eighth-seeded Meralco Bolts in the quarterfinals with a twice-to-beat edge.
The scores:
San Miguel (126) – Perez 24, Cruz 17, Trollano 17, Tautuaa 14, Fajardo 10, Lassiter 10, Teng 9, Brondial 8, Tiongson 7, Cahilig 3, Rosales 2, Calma 2, Ross 0
NorthPort (91) – Munzon 19, Flores 13, Balanza 11, Yu 11, Taha 9, Abueva 5, Nelle 5, Cuntapay 5, Bulanadi 5, Kwekuteye 5, Onwubere 3, Nava 0
Ginebra Breezes By Rain or Shine, Seals Top 4 Slot
The task was simple for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel: Beat the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to avoid any complications. They did exactly that, roaring to a strong start, holding off Rain or Shine in the middle quarters, and then finishing strong for a 98-80 victory to clinch the no. 4 seed for the Philippine Cup playoffs.
Stephen Holt, Japeth Aguilar, and Jamie Malonzo all shone for Ginebra, with Holt claiming Best Player of the Game honors with 27 points and 12 boards. Aguilar backed Holt up with 18 points and 10 caroms, while Jamie Malonzo finished with 15 markers and 10 boards. It was also Holt who led Ginebra’s backbreaking opening salvo in the fourth, making two huge triples in a 15-0 blitz that turned a 74-67 advantage into a 89-67 cushion.
Adrian Nocum and Leonard Santillan fired 13 apiece for the Elasto Painters, who needed to win by at least 28 to dislodge Ginebra from the fourth seed. But with the loss, Rain or Shine dropped to seventh and a quarterfinals date with the NLEX Road Warriors.
The scores:
Ginebra (98) –Holt 27, J Aguilar 18, Malonzo 15, Abarrientos 11, Thompson 8, Rosario 8, David 8, Adamos 2, Pessumal 1, Pinto 0, Cu 0, Ahanmisi 0, Gray 0, Mariano 0
Rain or Shine (80) – Nocum 13, Santillan 13, Asistio 11, Malonzo 10, Mamuyac 9, Caracut 7, Clarito 6, Ildefonso 5, Datu 2, Norwood 2, Borboran 2, Escandor 0
2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup Playoffs Begin
The 2024–25 PBA Philippine Cup playoffs will start on Wednesday at the PhilSports Arena with the NLEX Road Warriors taking on the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the first game and the TNT Tropang 5G taking on the Magnolia Hotshots in the second. Both NLEX and Magnolia—the second and third seeds of the Philippine Cup playoffs—hold the twice-to-beat edge.
